Dates & facts

Company

The Miele & Cie. KG has been owned by the Miele (51 per cent) and the Zinkann (49 per cent) families since its foundation in 1899. The head office with central administration and parent plant is located in Gütersloh.

Philosophy

Miele is an independent family-owned company with the claim to being an industry leader in quality and technology. Miele stands for partnership-based conduct towards its business partners, an employee-focused corporate culture as well as continuity of values, goals and leadership.

Company management

The Miele & Cie. KG is led by five managing directors with equal say: Olaf Bartsch (Managing Director Finances and Central Administration), Dr. Heiner Olbrich (Managing Director Marketing and Sales), Dr. Eduard Sailer (Managing Director Technology) as well as Dr. Markus Miele and Dr. Reinhard Zinkann (Managing Partners).

Employees

Miele employs 16,716 people worldwide (as of 30 June 2012), 10,324 of them in Germany (= 62 per cent). Of the approximately 6,400 employees working outside of Germany about 80 per cent are engaged in the sales and service sector.

Business development

During the fiscal year 2011/2012, which ended on 30 June 2012, Miele achieved a turnover of 3.04 billion euros. This corresponds to an increase of 91 million euros or 3.1 per cent. On its domestic market of Germany, Miele grew by 47 million euros to 912 million euros (plus 5.5 per cent) in the same period of time.

Sustainability

For Miele sustainable conduct is entrenched in the values and tradition of the company and is the absolute foundation for long-term corporate success. Miele is a member of the UN sustainability organisation Global Compact and signatory of the "Diversity Charter". Miele publishes a sustainability report every two years. Everything else regarding sustainability can be found here.

History

Founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann as a centrifuge factory, Miele initially became a well positioned supplier for agriculture, with product divisions such as dairy equipment, washing machines, bicycles and even automobiles. Today, the company's focus is on the claim to global leadership in quality and technology for household and commercial appliances.